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THE
Nestlé Group will study possible investments in the
Philippines’ renewable-energy industry, Trade Secretary
Peter Favila said on Wednesday.
Favila said in a news briefing in
Malacañang that Nestlé chief executive officer Paul
Bulcke inquired about geothermal and hydroelectric
potentials during a courtesy call on President Arroyo,
where the company executive also met with other
officials.
“This area is not their main line of
business, but they were saying that they were told even
by their own people out there that the No.1 in
geothermal sources is the Philippines, and they would
like to look into that as a possible investment,” said
Favila.
Nestlé will send a team to the
Philippines to check the feasibility of their investing
in the geothermal sector and may take up the matter with
the President when its executives led by Bulcke meet
with the Chief Executive at the sidelines of the World
Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, later this month.
Favila is also arranging a meeting
between the visiting Nestlé executives and Energy
Secretary Angelo Reyes and Environment Secretary Lito
Atienza, the officials most concerned with the sector.
Favila had informed the Nestlé
executives about a presidential directive identifying
seven geothermal sites in the country that can be
developed as economic zones, and government efforts to
develop the country’s rich renewable energy sources by
attracting much-needed investments.
The geothermal sites to be developed
into potential ecozones are located in Laguna, Albay,
Sorsogon, Leyte, Negros Occidental and Oriental, and
North Cotabato.
“The CEO showed interest, so he asked
about it. We said that we are strong in geothermal,
windpower, seawaves. So he asked about geothermal and he
was told that the Philippines globally is the
second-largest source but we don’t have the capital to
develop this.”
A Palace statement said that during the
courtesy call Bulcke thanked the President for
supporting the business process outsourcing industry,
especially since the Nestlé Group has chosen the
Philippines
as the site of its shared service center for financial
and employee services, to be known as Nestlé Business
Services AOA.
The facility will serve financial and
employee service requirements of Nestlé companies in the
Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Australia,
New Zealand, and other countries in the region.
Bulcke was accompanied by Nestlé Group
executive vice presidents Frits Van Dijk and James
Singh, and Nestle Philippines CEO Nandu Nandkishore. --M.
Gonzalez |
